


Mari Throwing Hearts

by youreyeslookliketheocean



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Miraculous Ladybug - Freeform, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-25
Updated: 2019-11-30
Packaged: 2020-09-26 16:06:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20392417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/youreyeslookliketheocean/pseuds/youreyeslookliketheocean
Summary: When Ladybug accidentally witnesses Chat Noir having a break down while detransforming on a rooftop, she makes it her own personal mission to help him feel better. But when Hawkmoth’s identity is revealed to her, just how far is Marinette willing to go to help out her friend?





	1. Breakdown

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at posting a fic here, and I’m kind of terrified. But follow me on tumblr (@youreyeslookliketheocean)!! Updates will probably come faster there than here, since I’m not used to posting on ao3 yet.

As his transformation drops, Adrien drops to the ground and covers his face with his hands, bursting into tears.

“I can’t do this anymore,” Adrien cries, his entire body shaking, “Plagg, I c-can’t. No one cares and I can’t. I _c-can’t_.”

Plagg zips up and tries to wedge himself in between Adrien’s shaking hands, but is unsuccessful. He hovers in front of the kneeling boy instead, brows furrowed in concern.

“Adrien,” he says, worry evident in his tone.

Adrien just shakes his head in his hands, refusing to look up as he continues.

“I-I hate how m-my father treats me like CRAP a-and like I don’t even matter, and I hate how L-Ladybug always brushes me off, a-and I hate how I shouldn’t hate that, and I hate how I d-don’t get to decide ANYTHING for myself, and I hate how I feel like I’m b-being ungrateful for the h-help and e-everything everyone has done for me, and I…I…” Adrien sucks in a breath, hiccuping as he tries to take in air.

“Jeez, Kid. Calm down a little. You’re kinda freaking me out,” Plagg says, nervously hovering closer to the boy.

Adrien just rubs his eyes with the back of his palms. He tries to laugh, but all that comes out is a choked sob.

“I…I hate myself,” he finally admits, looking up at Plagg for a moment with watering eyes and the most heartbroken look Marinette had ever seen.

She wasn’t supposed to be there. She wasn’t supposed to have seen Chat Noir detransform, wasn’t supposed to know Adrien was the one on the other side of the suit. And she especially doubted that she was supposed to know he apparently hated himself. It absolutely tore her to pieces.

Adrien had started to cry again, his kwami helpless to calm the boy down as Adrien hugged his knees to his chest and sobbed. It broke Marinette’s heart to know she was part of the reason why he was so upset.

“N-No one would care if I quit, not even Ladybug. She’d probably be glad I was g-gone,” Adrien hiccuped. “I j-just m-mess everything up. I’m p-pointless.”

Marinette crouched down on the building opposite Adrien, tears welling up in her eyes. Did her partner really think so low of himself? Did Adrien really think so low of himself? The same Adrien who modeled brilliantly, was kind to everyone he met, had a dazzling smile and a personality that lit up every room he walked into? The same Chat who had saved Ladybug’s life multiple times, who was literally essential to saving every akuma attack, who flirted shamelessly, and was quite possibly the sweetest person on the planet? How had Marinette not seen this before? She should be comforting him, telling him how highly she actually thought of him, but all Marinette found she could do was sit on the rooftop, half hidden behind a chimney, and watch.

Adrien released a shaky breath after another minute of inconsolable crying. He looked up at Plagg again before turning his head away, towards the city.

“Adrien,” Plagg said, reaching out a paw to touch the boy’s cheek, “you’re not pointless. You’re Chat Noir, for goodness sake. You save lives every day.”

“Yeah, but Ladybug could do that herself. And besides,” Adrien turned back to Plagg with a frown, “what if I don’t want to be Chat Noir to feel appreciated? Or Adrien Agreste the famous model? What if I just want to be _myself_?”

Adrien wiped his eyes and stood up, brushing the dirt from his jeans.

“Let’s go home. Think you have enough strength for one more transformation?”

Plagg nodded wordlessly, and Marinette watched in awe as Adrien transformed back into Chat Noir. With a flip of his tail, he turned and leapt off the roof, bounding away into the darkening sky. Only then did Marinette release the breath she had been holding.

Adrien and Chat, one and the same. Who would have guessed? Well actually, if Marinette was being honest, she could have figured it out if she had only paid better attention. Maybe there were a lot of things she could have figured out if she had paid better attention…

Marinette clenched her hands into fists at her sides.

‘_I’ll make this right_,’ she thought, ‘_I promise_.’

...

* * *

‘SLAM!’

  
Adrien’s head jolted up from his desk as a cup of coffee and a pastry bag were slammed down a mere five centimeters from his face.

  
“W-wha?” He mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

  
The face in front of him was familiar, blue pigtails and bangs framing pale skin, freckles, and blue eyes, but it took Adrien about five seconds longer than it should have to recognize that it was Marinette standing in front of him. Probably because he had never seen Marinette wear an expression quite like the one she wore now. Her eyebrows were narrowed dangerously, blue eyes alight with a fire he had only ever seen in, well, Ladybug’s. Her hands braced herself against his desk as she leaned over it, and Adrien found himself suddenly sweating. What the fuck had he done to ensue the Wrath of Marinette Dupain-Cheng?

  
Marinette didn’t say anything, merely scooting the coffee and pastry closer to Adrien.

  
“Yours,” she finally said, nodding decisively before marching up the stairs to her desk.

  
Adrien knew his mouth had to be hanging open—probably gaping like a fish out of water as he struggled to process what just happened. The coffee cup in front of him had his name and a smiley face written on it, seeming to mock him as he frantically tried to unscramble his brain.

  
First of all, Marinette Dupain-Cheng was almost unrecognizable when she looked pissed off.

  
Secondly, Marinette always stuttered when she talked to him. So why hadn’t she then? Granted, she had only said one word. But Adrien had always assumed that she was scared of him or hated him because of her shyness that only seemed to emerge when he was around. Did this mean she didn’t actually hate him? Or maybe she was trying to poison him with the food…

  
Adrien immediately brushed that thought away. Marinette would _never_ hurt anyone. And besides, if Marinette truly wanted to poison someone, she would have done so to Chloe a _longggg_ time ago.

  
Third, how in the world did she know his Chat Café order?

  
Fourth, the fact that the pastry was from the Dupain-Cheng bakery was enough to make Adrien want to cry tears of joy. He hadn’t eaten a Dupain-Cheng pastry in…who knew how long. Not since the last time Marinette had brought croissants for the whole class.

  
Fifth, did he really look so bad that Marinette felt the need to bring him coffee?

  
And sixth, he had absolutely no idea what had possessed Marinette to bring him breakfast, but bless her heart because Nathalie and her diet plans would probably have a heart attack if he ever asked her to get him a caramel cappuccino and a chocolate croissant for breakfast.

  
Adrien glanced back over his shoulder at Marinette. She was already hunched over a notebook, pencil tapping at her chin as her eyes narrowed in concentration. Every once in awhile her eyes lit up and she scribbled something onto the paper. A new design maybe?  
Adrien turned back around as Nino let out a chuckle.

  
“Dude, you know staring is kinda rude,” Nino grinned.

  
Adrien blushed.

  
“Sorry. I spaced,” he lied, shrugging.

  
Nino waved his hand at Adrien’s breakfast.

  
“She brought you food?”

  
Adrien shrugged again, resisting the urge to look back at the girl in question.

  
“I guess so? I don’t know why, though…”

  
Nino shrugged, turning back to his tablet.

  
“Marinette’s just like that, man. Though usually she only does stuff like this when she thinks someone is having a rough time…. You’re good right now, right? At home?”

  
“Oh yeah. I’m good,” Adrien immediately nodded, even though he knew it was a lie. Well, partially a lie. He definitely felt better than he had last night after the akuma attack with Ladybug, but at the same time, it wasn’t like much had changed.

  
His father had been absent from breakfast, as usual, this morning. Nathalie had shown up to give him a run down of his day—one that included two photo shoots after school, fencing, and a Chinese lesson—and then left. The Gorilla had taken him to school in the car, but as usual no words had been exchanged. In fact, Adrien didn’t think he had ever heard a single word from the Gorilla’s mouth.

  
After getting out of the car, Adrien had met Nino at the stairs before heading to class. Alya had been there too, and he remembered her saying something about how Marinette was going to be running late.

  
Adrien glanced at the gift in front of him and frowned. Had Marinette been late because of this?

  
Nino raised his eyebrows at Adrien skeptically, but Mrs. Bustier tapped on the chalkboard, effectively silencing all further conversation. Both boys turned to the front of the room as class began. Adrien took out his tablet, brushing off the events that had just taken place.

  
Marinette was just a really good friend, he supposed.


	2. I Know Who You Are

The first thing Marinette did upon getting home from school was rip all the Adrien posters off of her bedroom walls and stuff them into the recycling bin. Once she was done, she wiped her hands together, and turned with a satisfied smile to face Tikki. Her kwami tilted her head in confusion.

  
“What was that for?”

  
Marinette opened her mouth to answer, then frowned suddenly, and crossed the room to grab her desk chair. She pulled it to the center of the room before climbing up on top of it, and pulling down the calendar she had dedicated solely to Adrien. With a firm tug, it unattached from the ceiling. Marinette watched it flutter to the floor as she hopped off the chair.

  
“This, Tikki, is a total re-start. The game crashed and now I have to start all over.” Marinette turned away to survey the rest of her room, lips pursed critically. After a minute, her eyes lit up and she clambered up the ladder to her loft, raising the mattress. With a quick swipe of her arm, about a dozen more pictures of Adrien fluttered down to the floor below.

  
Tikki dodged a particularly flighty poster, squinting at her charge. “Because Adrien is Chat Noir?”

  
Marinette nodded, hoping off her ladder with a less than graceful leap.

  
“Yes, because Adrien is Chat Noir. But also because I really don’t know who Adrien is at all anymore. I mean, I thought I had him all figured out, but now that I know that he runs around Paris half the day in a catsuit…”

  
“You’re not much better in spots,” Tikki giggled, and Marinette shot her a smile.

  
“I don’t know who _either_ of them are anymore. And I think I need to figure that out before I can think about…anything else,” Marinette said, picking a poster up off the floor and crumpling it in her hand.

  
“That’s very mature of you, Marinette,” Tikki smiled. “I think Chat Noir could use someone who understands both sides of him.”

  
Marinette smiled back, her cheeks tingeing pink slightly as she thought of her partner. His smile, how he laughed, his eyes…

  
Whoa. That was new.

  
‘BOOM!’

  
Marinette and Tikki both jumped as a loud boom sounded from outside. They rushed to the window, peeking out at the street below to see civilians scattering around as they ran from some unseen danger.

  
Marinette turned to Tikki with determination written across her face.

  
“This looks like a job for Ladybug. Ready, Tikki?”

  
Tikki nodded excitedly, and Marinette grinned.

  
“Tikki, _Spots On_!”

* * *

  
After the akuma had been taken care of, Ladybug grabbed Chat’s wrist before he could disappear and hastily told him to meet her at the Eiffel Tower at eight that night. He nodded once, mouth hanging open just a little before he realized and clamped it shut. ‘_Cute_’ had been Marinette’s first thought, and she had to pull away quickly to hide her blush.

  
Now, nearly four hours later, Ladybug paced a beam of the Eiffel Tower as she waited for her partner to show. It was only ten minutes past eight, but it wasn’t like Chat Noir to be more than a few minutes late. He was usually very punctual — something that Marinette now realized must be attributed to Adrien’s rigid schedules.

  
“Ladybug?”

  
Ladybug spun around, the night wind whipping her hair as her partner landed behind her.

  
“Chat. I was wondering when you were going to show up,” she teased him lightly.

  
Chat sighed, rolling his eyes with a grin. “Sorry. I got held up at home.”

  
Ladybug’s smile immediately cracked, but Chat didn’t seem to notice. He took his usual seat on the edge of the beam, swinging his legs over the ledge. He extended them straight out in the air for a second, smiling thoughtfully.

  
“You know, I never thought I’d be able to sit like this—with the city literally underneath my feet,” he said, leaning forward to get a better look at the city lights below. “It’s pretty.”

  
“Yeah?”

  
Chat nodded as Ladybug plopped herself down next to him. She extended her own legs outwards, mimicking Chat Noir’s pose. The city lights twinkled beneath her, giving her legs a glowing outline. It made Ladybug feel powerful to be sitting up here, her legs dangled out over the city, while at the same time reminding her of how small she really was in the grand scheme of things.

  
Chat was right; it was pretty.

  
“Chat Noir,” Ladybug started slowly, dropping her legs to dangle loosely over the edge, “are you okay?”

  
Chat turned to her, confused. 

“What do you mean?”

  
“You know what I mean. You’ve been distant recently, and you look…” Ladybug bit her lip in a subconscious effort to come up with the right word. “…tired.”

  
Chat raised his eyebrows, but didn’t immediately object as he turned back to stare at the city. “I mean, I guess I’m good. I could use a cat-nap right about now, though.”

  
Ladybug frowned.

  
“Don’t make jokes with me now, Chat Noir. I’m being serious. Are you okay? At home? At school? Wherever?”

  
Chat chuckled, bringing a hand up to rest on Ladybug’s tensed shoulders. She immediately relaxed them.

  
“LB, I’m fine. Sure, I’m a little pissed at my dad for making me run late to see you, but it’s not your job to worry about that stuff.”

  
“It’s not my job to worry about my friend?”

  
“Ladybug...”

  
Ladybug sighed as Chat’s hand dropped off her shoulder.

  
“I’m sorry. I know it’s none of my business, and it’s not like I’ve done a very good job of worrying about you before. But I want you to know that from now on you can talk to me, and I’m sorry for being so selfish before when you tried to confide in me.”

  
Chat blinked at her, his green eyes almost comically wide. 

“What?”

  
Ladybug sighed frustratedly, trying to find the right words.

  
“You can talk to me. I know I’ve been really uptight about the whole ‘secret identities’ thing before, but ultimately you’re more important than that. If something’s bothering you, at home or school or wherever and you need to blow off steam, you can tell me.”

  
Chat Noir blinked.

  
“Really?”

  
“Really.”

  
At that confirmation, Chat Noir let out the largest sigh of relief Ladybug had ever heard, before leaning over to rest his head on her shoulder.

  
“Thanks, that means a lot,” he said, and Ladybug had to fight the part of her that wanted to turn and kiss the top of his head.

  
Instead, she leaned her cheek against his head, letting out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. She bit her lip, wondering if she’d done the right thing. As much as she wanted Chat to be able to vent to her, she wasn’t sure that she would have let him if she hadn’t already found out his identity. Finding out his identity effectively tossed all her previous caution to the wind, because what did all the secret keeping and glossing over details matter anymore if she already knew exactly who he was? It wasn’t as if she could go back in time and change it now, but it did make her stop and think. If she still didn’t know Chat’s identity, would she have offered him this before?

  
Ladybug knew the answer automatically.

  
No. Of course not. But as much as it tore at her heart, she knew that it would still have been the right thing to do. If Hawkmoth ever akumatized her…

  
“So what’s been going on?” Ladybug asked slowly, shaking away her previous thoughts.  
Chat didn’t say anything at first, and Ladybug quickly backtracked.

  
“I mean, only if you want to tell me,” she hurriedly corrected, “you don’t have to-”

  
Chat shook his head against her shoulder, his false cat ears brushing against her cheek and making her pause.

  
“No, I…I want to. I just wasn’t really expecting this tonight,” he chuckled lightly.

  
Ladybug glanced down at him, and a smirk made its way across her face. “Oh? And what _were_ you expecting, Alley Cat?”

  
Chat sat up, turning to waggle his eyebrows at Ladybug.

  
“Hmm I don’t know. Maybe a kiss from M’Lady?” He teased.

  
Ladybug rolled her eyes. After years of fighting with Chat, her gut reaction to his flirting was to brush it off, so she didn’t realize that his comment was basically an open invitation to kiss him until the moment had already passed. Darn. She would have loved to wipe that smug little look off his face with a ki-

  
Chat turned away, and Ladybug pinched her leg—ordering herself to get a grip. Feelings didn’t just switch on like this, did they? Two days ago Marinette would have shoved Chat off the Eiffel Tower for a comment like that, but now she found herself willing to take up the offer. Then again, it wasn’t really as if her feelings had switched, _per se_. They had just…expanded…to take into account this newly discovered part of her crush. And it wasn’t like she hadn’t thought of Chat in a romantic sense before…

  
“What changed your mind?”

  
It took Ladybug a second to realize Chat was talking again, and she jumped when she did.

  
“Sorry uh, w-what did I change my mind on?” She stammered.

  
Chat tilted his head, confused.

  
“My civilian life…?”

  
“OH! Right! Sorry!” Ladybug pinched her leg harder, wincing. “I just- You haven’t been acting the same. Especially during today’s akuma attack—your dodges were slow and you almost got hit twice. I know what it’s like to fight with a lot on your mind, and I didn’t want you to feel like you had to suffer in silence. You’re my best friend. You can talk to me.”  
Chat nodded slowly, brows still furrowed.

  
“So you don’t care about identities? I’m sorry M’Lady, I just feel like you’re uh…keeping something from me.”

  
Ladybug looked away, down towards the city. Of course Chat knew she was skirting around something; she had been skirting around things with him for years. She hadn’t been allowed to tell him her identity, she hadn’t been allowed to introduce him to Master Fu…

  
The city glittered beneath Ladybug like a thousand stars, and she sighed. She may not have been able to tell Chat things back then, but what was stopping her now? She couldn’t change what had happened, and after all he’d been through, all the trust he’d put in her, Chat deserved to know.

  
She looked back up at Chat with a guilty smile

  
“Chat, I know who you are.”

  
“W-what?” Chat’s jaw dropped open as he stammered.

  
Ladybug chuckled nervously, shrugging.

  
“I um, I saw you detransform the other day. It was an accident, I swear, but uh…I know that you’re Adrien.”

  
Chat’s mouth was still hanging open. Ladybug continued, “I’m sorry I didn’t say something earlier, and I’m really sorry that I messed up so bad. But you need to know that I know because if I ever do get akumatized,” Ladybug’s voice cracked and she took a breath, “I might wind up going after you. Or telling Hawkmoth about you. And you need to know that that’s a possibility now, for your own safety.” Ladybug finished with a loud exhale, hunching in on herself. “Please say something.”

  
Chat searched Ladybug’s face, looked down, then looked back up again. Finally, he took a breath.

  
“If we’re gonna be talking about my civilian life now, I think you should know that I hate my dad.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The new kwami-swap episode today has me like: *o*  
😂😂  
Thank you so much for all of the kind comments (and kudos!) on the last chapter!!!! It really means a lot to me, especially when I get those AO3 emails in the middle of school. Definitely a mood booster during a long day, lol.


	3. Passive (Agreste)ive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “be! aggressive! passive! aggressive!”  
yes I did put a pun in the chapter title. no I am not ashamed.

Ladybug swung her yo-yo to the next building, hooking it on a balcony railing and slinging herself across the street. The wind whistled in her ears as she arced through the Parisian sky. It was dark out, but the light from both the streetlights and the Eiffel Tower lit her way to the Agreste’s house.

As Ladybug caught sight of the tall house in the distance, she aimed her yo-yo towards the roof. She tossed it, and the string wrapped snuggly around a brick ledge at the top of the house before Ladybug jumped towards it.

Chat’s explanation of his home life had been littered with “_but its not so bad_”’s and “_it’s fine, really_”’s. Unfortunately for him, Ladybug saw right through it. Also unfortunately for Chat, she was determined to set it right.

That’s the reason why, unbeknownst to her partner, she was currently pounding on Gabriel Agreste’s office window at 11:56 at night.

Ladybug waited, hanging from her yo-yo’s string awkwardly. When nothing happened, she growled to herself and banged again.

“I know you’re in there!” She yelled through the glass. “The lights are on!”

She waited another minute, but when it was clear no one was going to answer the window, Ladybug lowered herself down to the ground and turned to face the front door instead. She had been hoping to do this privately, but since Mr. Agreste apparently refused to open his window…

_ Knock knock knock!_

Ladybug knocked loudly on the front door of the Agreste’s mansion. She stepped back with a huff, and crossed her arms over her chest. It was getting colder outside, and her breath clouded in front of her as she exhaled.

Another minute passed, and Ladybug was just about to raise her arm to knock again when the door suddenly swung open, revealing Nathalie. Poised as always, Nathalie’s eyes only widened a fraction of an inch at the sight of one of Paris’ superheroes standing on her doorstep.

Nathalie cleared her throat.

“May I help you?”

Ladybug uncrossed her arms, trying to peer around Nathalie and into the house.

“Is Mr. Agreste home?” She asked impatiently.

Nathalie still stood in the middle of the doorway, preventing Ladybug from coming inside. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the superheroine.

“Is there an akuma?”

“No,” Ladybug said, “but I need to talk to Mr. Agreste. It’s an emergency.”

“I don’t see what sort of emergency would render you coming here at midnight when there’s no-“

Nathalie suddenly brought a hand up to her ear, her expression morphing into confusion.

“Are you sure, sir? Okay. Okay I’ll send her up.”

Nathalie lowered her hand, revealing a small earpiece wrapped around her ear.

“Mr. Agreste would like to speak with you,” she muttered, her tone betraying her annoyance despite the stolid expression on her face.

Ladybug grinned, and walked into the house.

The Agreste Manor was huge, or at least much bigger than Marinette had anticipated. She had been here before, of course, but as Nathalie led her upstairs and into previously uncharted territory, Ladybug couldn’t help but feel a little overwhelmed. Not to mention how cold it was. Ladybug couldn’t determine if the frigidness was from the A/C, or from the distinct lack of people in the enormous house. Whichever it was, Ladybug’s heart gave a squeeze as she thought of Adrien living here.

Nathalie stopped suddenly, causing Ladybug to nearly bump into her. Ladybug stepped back, turning a questioning gaze to the double doors in front of the pair.

“This is Mr. Agreste’s office,” Nathalie said, resting her hand on one of the door handles. “I will go in and make sure-“

“That won’t be necessary, Nathalie.”

Ladybug’s eyes snapped over to the other door, where Gabriel Agreste himself had suddenly materialized. He glanced over at her with an unreadable expression, and a chill went down Ladybug’s spine.

“Ladybug,” Gabriel greeted her, extending his hand, “I believe we’ve met before.”

Ladybug took his hand slowly and shook it, getting a distinct sense of déjà-vu.

“Yes, during the akuma ‘Simon Says’,” she answered. She remembered how Gabriel had inquired about her earrings whilst shaking her hand, the way his eyes had glanced over at them almost as if…. Ladybug shook herself. Gabriel Agreste may not be the best father, or the nicest person, but that didn’t give her the right to accuse him of anything…sinister. Besides, he had been akumatized before.

Ladybug felt her face pale as she remembered Chat’s concern after The Collector had been de-akumatized. The way he had crouched down in front of Gabriel Agreste, putting a hand on his shoulder…. That had been his _father_.

Ladybug blinked as Gabriel’s hand landed on her shoulder.

“Ladybug? Are you alright?”

Ladybug jolted away from him slightly, nodding. “Y-yes. Sorry, just got lost in my own thoughts,” she chuckled nervously. “Can I talk to you in your office?”

She shot a look at Nathalie, who scowled.

“Alone.”

Gabriel’s face scrunched up in confusion, but after a moment he relaxed and nodded his head. He stepped back to hold the door open for her.

“Come in. Nathalie, you might as well head back to bed now.”

Nathalie’s lips tightened, obviously not wanting to leave, but with an assuring glance from Gabriel she ultimately turned and headed back down the stairs. Once she had disappeared, Gabriel looked back down at Ladybug and gestured for her to enter the room.

As Ladybug stepped inside Mr. Agreste’s office, she suddenly remembered why she had admired him in the first place. Strung around the room on various boards, walls, tables—pretty much every flat surface available—were sketches upon sketches of designs. And not just any designs, _stellar_ designs. Designs that would have made Coco Chanel keel over and die. Designs that would have convinced Christian Dior to quit while he was ahead.

Ladybug’s inner designer squealed and jumped up and down in excitement. Outwardly, she bit her tongue and remained impassive. She turned to Gabriel, who had entered behind her, and crossed her arms over her chest.

“So I assume you aren’t here to talk fashion with me,” Gabriel started, seeing the hostile look on the superheroine’s face.

Ladybug nodded, and Gabriel sighed as he walked a few steps past her to his office desk. He sank into his chair with an audible ‘thwump’ before looking back up at her.

“Better to make it quick then. Nathalie doesn’t take kindly to people messing with her schedules. Even if said person happens to be a… a superhero.”

Ladybug raised her eyebrows, unimpressed.

“First of all, it’s past midnight. What kind of schedule does Nathalie have for you now?” She asked doubtfully.

“Oh you’d be surprised,” Gabriel chuckled.

“Second of all,” Ladybug continued as if she hadn’t heard, “I came here to ask about your son.”

At this, Gabriel actually looked surprised. His eyes widened and he stared curiously at the superheroine standing in front of him.

“Adrien?” He asked.

Ladybug nodded, a hint of a smirk crossing her face before she quickly hid it.

“Mhm. Adrien. You remember him, right?”

“Of course! He’s my son, why wouldn’t I-“

“I’d just like to tell you that I saw him today, modeling at the park.”

Ladybug smiled. She had been thinking of ways to confront Mr. Agreste ever since Chat left to go home around nine thirty. The best way she could think of was by telling a half truth. Yes, she had seen Adrien modeling at the park today, but she had been Marinette—not Ladybug. Yes, she actually did know all of this about Adrien, only she had heard it from Chat as Ladybug.

“I went up to say hi, and we started talking,” Ladybug continued, gazing off into the distance as if she was recalling some long passed time. She turned back to Gabriel with a snap. “Did you know his outside shoots typically last at least four hours? Even if it’s hot, or freezing cold, or even if it’s raining?”

Gabriel opened his mouth to respond, but Ladybug wasn’t done yet.

“And that he stays up until nearly three A.M. every night trying to get homework done after shoots? And fencing? And Chinese class? I mean wow, that’s dedication, right? He’s probably up now,” Ladybug asked, laying on the sarcasm.

“Oh! And did you know that he gets all A’s in his classes? He’s definitely way smarter than I am. He told me that he thought about pursuing a career in Physics or his own business, but wasn’t sure if you’d let him leave your company. That really sucks, doesn’t it? I mean, I know I’d be upset if my dad didn’t encourage me to follow my own dreams and live my own life.”

“Miss Ladybug-“

Ladybug shook her head, stepping closer to the desk.

“And the holidays, oh gosh. Adrien knows how dedicated you are to your work, so he says he doesn’t expect too much from you for his birthday or Christmas or anything. He knows your work is of chief importance, even more important than himself sometimes, right? He’s very respectful like that. He told me it’s been hard without his mother, and that sometimes it feels like he lost _both_ his parents after she disappeared. He’s still so kind though, and I know he really appreciates it when you schedule dinners with him once every few months.”

“Ladybug if this is some way of-“

“No, no, I assure you that I’m not trying to insinuate anything. I just wanted to tell you how amazing your son is, and how glad I am that I got to talk to him earlier. He must have had _excellent_ parenting.”

Gabriel turned in his chair as Ladybug headed towards the window.

“I don’t think that’s quite-“

“Sorry, Mr. Agreste, but I have to get home before my time’s up.”

Ladybug gestured to her earrings. As she did, the first timer went off. She used her yo-yo to pull herself up to the window ledge, unlocked the glass, and pushed it open a crack. The chilly air blew in, ruffling the papers strewn about the office.

“My powers can hold for a pretty long time when I don’t use my Lucky Charm,” Ladybug explained, “but not forever. I’ll let you get back to…whatever Nathalie put on your schedule this late at night. Bug out!”

Ladybug pushed the window the rest of the way open, sticking her head out into the chilly night air. She clicked her yo-yo to reel it in, winding her arm back to throw it out again, but suddenly paused. She turned back to Mr. Agreste with a sickly sweet smile.

“Oh, also, you’re a _dick_.” With that said, Ladybug spun on her heel and leapt out the window, leaving a stunned Gabriel Agreste in her wake.


	4. *Not* A Date

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is like my fifth time trying to upload this, so hopefully it works this time. Also, sorry it's been so long. I totally forgot that what I've posted here isn't up to date with what's on my Tumblr. Regardless, I hope you enjoy some Ladrien/Ladynoir fluff!

It had been a day since Ladybug’s passive aggressive talk with Gabriel Agreste, and she was beginning to worry that she had made a mistake. Chat hadn’t shown up for patrol last night. She had tried calling him multiple times, but to no avail. Worried that something had happened, she swung by his house to check on him, and was surprised to see that he was already fast asleep in bed.

Ladybug huffed as she pulled away from the Agreste Manor’s glass window. That darned cat. Had he really forgotten all about patrol? She frowned in annoyance, but ultimately turned and left, leaving Adrien to sleep. If Chat was too tired for patrol, then so be it. She could take the city by herself for one night.

Now, a full day later, Ladybug rested her cheek against her fist as she sat criss-cross on a random rooftop—alone again. Where was Chat Noir? Patrol was supposed to have started over fifteen minutes ago!

Pushing herself to her feet, Ladybug scanned the horizon one last time before winding her yo-yo back and tossing it out towards the Agreste Mansion.

_ Is he avoiding me now that I know his identity?  _ Ladybug thought as she swung from roof to roof.  _ Does he really hate me, even though he said he didn’t? He’s the one who’s pushed for a reveal. Is he mad that I didn’t reveal myself back to him? _

Ladybug’s anxious train of thought stopped short as she dropped down to hang in front of Adrien’s bedroom window, and came face to face with a pair of bright green eyes.

Ladybug shrieked, nearly dropping her hold on her yo-yo. She swung back from the window, regaining her composure before swinging forward and letting her feet rest against the window ledge again.

“Adrien?” She asked through the glass.

It didn’t seem like Adrien could hear her, but he must have read her lips because he waved, and cracked her a lopsided smile.

Ladybug felt her face heat up.  _ Oh fuck oh shit that’s cute oh- _

Adrien said something through the window, and Ladybug squinted, trying to make out what he was saying. His lips were moving too fast, though, and she couldn’t understand. They made eye contact, and Ladybug shook her head, her lips twisting downwards. Adrien tried again, mouthing the words slower. Ladybug stared down at his mouth in confusion.

‘I’. Yes. That was definitely an ‘I’. ‘I can’t-‘… ’I can’t… _ leaf _ ’?

“You can’t live?” Ladybug practically screamed through the glass. What kind of glass did Mr. Agreste buy? Bulletproof? Honestly, she wouldn’t have been surprised.

Adrien shook his head, his eyebrows furrowing in frustration.

“Can you open the window?” Ladybug asked/screamed through the glass. At this point, people on the street were going to hear her.

Adrien shook his head, gesturing towards what looked like a lock on his window. It needed a key.

Ladybug frowned.

The sun was too bright for her to see much past her own reflection in the glass, so Ladybug pressed her hands to her forehead and then to the window so she could see inside. Upon doing so, her breath instantly caught in her chest.

Adrien’s room was incredible. It looked like the ‘after’ version of a bedroom on a house remodeling show. With a skate ramp, a rock wall, a fireman’s pole (or maybe a stripper pole? Ladybug didn’t want to think about that too much), bookshelves filled with hundreds of books and CDs, a flat screen TV…. She had definitely seen this all before, but had never really gotten the chance to examine it. The last time she had been in Adrien’s room was during an akuma attack.

Ladybug’s eye suddenly caught on the bathroom door. She remembered peeking in there during Volpina’s akuma attack. She hadn’t looked long—just long enough to see Adrien’s blonde mop of hair as he poked his head out of the shower—but it was a long enough moment for her to remember seeing a silver laundry chute in the corner.

“Laundry chute!” She shouted through the window, pointing towards the bathroom door.

Miraculously, Adrien seemed to understand her immediately. His eyes widened and he grinned, nodding his head enthusiastically. He then held up a finger before turning and practically bolting into the bathroom.

Ladybug yo-yoed back down to the ground, plopping down onto the grass as she waited. A minute passed, and she absentmindedly plucked a dandelion from the grass beside her. How the flower had escaped the notice of the Agreste’s impeccable lawn care was beyond her knowledge, but it was pretty. She twirled it in her fingers, pensively.

Adrien hadn’t  _ seemed _ mad at her. If he actually was or not, she assumed she would find out soon, but the way he smiled when he saw her had made her heart skip a beat. It was that genuine, cheek to cheek grin that Marinette saw so often on Chat Noir. It even appeared on Adrien sometimes. When he joked around with Nino, or when he complimented Marinette’s designs, it came out. On the first day of school when he gave Marinette his umbrella and it closed on her head, his smile after they finished laughing was one Marinette was sure she would never forget.

If he was mad at her, he was doing a fantastic job of hiding it.

“Hey.”

Ladybug looked up as Adrien’s voice came from right above her. He stood over her, smiling down at the flower in her hand. Something unreadable danced in his eyes as he glanced from the flower, up to Ladybug’s face. But as soon as she blinked it was gone.

Adrien offered his hand down to her, and all previous thoughts of him being mad at her drifted away.

“Hi,” Ladybug replied, taking his hand and letting him pull her to her feet. “You got out fast.”

Adrien chuckled, dropping her hand to scratch at the base of his neck.

“Perks of being a superhero, I guess.” He winked.

Ladybug blushed, but beckoned Adrien over as she began to twirl her yo-yo.

“Hey! Wha- Where are you going? I’m grounded!” Adrien spluttered.

Ladybug giggled.

“Adrien might be grounded, but I bet that Chat Noir isn’t,” she said, tossing her yo-yo out. It hooked around a chimney across the street.

Adrien gaped at her, but ultimately grinned and opened his jacket.

“Plagg? You up for a little run?” He asked.

“Run? I never said anything about a run,” Ladybug interrupted, pretending to be shocked. “We’re just going to the Dupain-Cheng bakery for some snacks. I need to talk to you.”

“Oh…?” Adrien asked.

Ladybug nodded stretching her hand out for Adrien to take.

“Shouldn’t I transform first?” He asked.

“Not if you don’t want your security cameras to catch you.”

Ladybug winked as Adrien’s eyes grew wide in realization. He reached out to grab her hand, and she pulled him close to her side. They both flushed pink.

“U-uh,” Ladybug stammered—suddenly nervous, “h-hold on tight.”

Adrien’s face turned impossibly pinker, but he obediently wrapped both his arms around her shoulders. Once he was secure, Ladybug pulled on her yo-yo before swinging away.

Of all the times Adrien had flown through the air, this was his new favorite. Maybe it was because he wasn’t wearing black spandex this time, or maybe it was because he didn’t actually have to do anything—Ladybug did all the jumping for him. But whatever it was, it had at least a little to do with the warm arm wrapped around him, and the twinkling lights below as the storefronts started lighting their signs for the night.

The air whistled in Adrien’s ear as Ladybug dropped down on the Dupain-Cheng Bakery’s balcony.

“Wait here, I’ll be back with snacks,” she called, jogging to the end of the balcony and leaving Adrien to stare—dumbstruck—at her.

“Snacks? Wha-? Are you just going to go in there and order food as Ladybug?” He asked.

Ladybug turned back, grinning as she hopped up onto the balcony rails.

“Don’t worry,” she assured him, looping her yo-yo around the railing, “I’m pretty close with the Dupain-Chengs. I’m sure they won’t mind. Just…stay there.”

Adrien opened his mouth to ask another question, but Ladybug leapt off the balcony before he could get the words out of his mouth.

He plopped down onto the balcony floor with a pout. How long had Ladybug been holding out on him with being close with the Dupain-Chengs? Did she get free food here? Adrien would kill for some free pastries. Well, maybe not kill, because he was a superhero and had a reputation to uphold…

Also, why couldn’t he just transform and go down there with her? And wasn’t Marinette home? He could have said hi to her! Was she in her room right now, right underneath him?

Adrien was just about to sneak a peek through Marinette’s skylight when Ladybug leapt back over the balcony railing. She held a white paper bag proudly displaying the Dupain-Cheng‘s logo in her hands.

“Don’t be a peeping tomcat, Chat Noir,” Ladybug mock scolded.

Adrien flushed bright red, but Ladybug didn’t seem to notice. She walked over to sit next to him, and offered him the bag of pastries.

Adrien gratefully took a chocolate éclair, smiling to himself as he bit into it. Warm, gooey, and perfect as usual. Nothing but the best ever came from the Dupain-Chengs.

“Are we going to talk right here?” Adrien asked around a mouthful of éclair.

Ladybug glanced around the balcony, and nodded.

“Yeah,” she sighed, “don’t worry though, the Dupain-Chengs won’t mind, and their daughter’s not home right now.”

“Oh.”

Adrien picked at a piece of his éclair, a little disappointed that Marinette wasn’t home. It would have been hard to explain why he was sitting on her balcony, potentially having a heart to heart conversation with Ladybug, though. So maybe this was for the best.

“So…” Ladybug began.

“So.”

Adrien set down the rest of his éclair, turning to fully face Ladybug.

“Were you really locked in your room?” She asked.

Adrien sighed, dropping his gaze to the balcony floor.

“Yeah. My dad grounded me.”

“Why?”

Adrien shrugged. “I have no idea. He said something about not being respectful of my family’s name? Talking badly about something? And he got mad when I said I didn’t know what he was talking about.”

Ladybug inhaled sharply. Shit. Gabriel had grounded Adrien because of her.

She felt her nails dig into her palms through the suit. Her teeth grit together angrily, but she must have kept on a pleasant facade because Adrien didn’t mention anything when he looked back up at her. In fact, he looked rather unfazed.

“And you’re not upset about it?” Ladybug asked.

Adrien smiled, his grin lighting up the balcony like a ray of sunshine. That was exactly the smile she had been thinking about earlier.

She felt her heart skip a beat again.

Adrien shook his head. “No, I’m not really upset. Especially not now that you’re here.”

Warmth flooded Ladybug’s face, but she kept talking.

“Did you try talking to him again?”

“No,” Adrien said, “I’m not supposed to ask about things more than once.”

“You didn’t talk to Nathalie?”

“How do you know about Nathalie?”

Ladybug’s eyes widened, and she scrambled to come up with a good excuse.

“I, uh…I met her! Yeah! That one time when Gorizilla was attacking you, she was outside, and…um…”

Adrien cut her off with a laugh.

“Don’t worry, LB. Anyone who’s ever picked up a celebrity magazine knows about Nathalie being my father’s assistant. I’m not accusing you of spying or anything. If you were spying on me, though…”

Ladybug cut Adrien off with a whine of protest, and he laughed. She watched him, noting the way his eyes lit up when he laughed. In that moment, he looked exactly like Chat Noir. Why didn’t he always? How come Adrien Agreste didn’t have the same carefree, giddy attitude that Chat Noir did? If anything confused Marinette about Chat Noir and Adrien being the same person, it was how differently they acted sometimes. Well, it had confused her right up until last night when she had talked to Chat, and then Adrien’s father.

“Chat?”

Adrien paused, his laughter dying on his lips as Ladybug called him by his alternate name.

“Chat, not to tell you how to live your life or anything, but I think you should stand up to your father more,” Ladybug said. “I mean, from what you’ve told me as Chat Noir, and what I’ve seen in Adrien…how come you just let him put you in a box?”

“Put me in a box?” Adrien asked, his eyebrows raising.

Ladybug nodded. “That’s what it sounds like, at least. You’re so different as Adrien compared to Chat Noir. Is that all because of your father?”

Adrien shook his head, his eyebrows knitting together. “What? No! I mean, yes? I guess I get more freedom as Chat Noir, but-“

“You said last night that you rarely see him. Do you ever see him? Because I’ve heard that he never leaves his office.“

“Well…no I don’t usually see him, but-“

“He holds you to all those high expectations and doesn’t even come to see you?“

Adrien’s eyes narrowed. “Ladybug, listen. I know I told you I hated my father, but despite what some people think he isn’t always-“

“That’s kind of absurd! And you eat pastries like you’ve never been given one in your whole life. You’re seventeen, for goodness sake. I think you can eat a goddamn cupcake.”

“Ladybug!”

Ladybug blinked, taken aback by the sharpness of Adrien’s voice. He breathed heavily, fists clenched at his sides.

“I know I said I hated him, but my father isn’t some kind of monster,” he said, “he loves me. He’s just not always good at showing it. His job is hard! He gets busy! He gets frustrated sometimes and…and takes it out on me. That’s not…that’s not his fault.”

Ladybug frowned, biting the inside of her cheek.

“I didn’t mean to insinuate-“

“Yeah well you did,” Adrien grumbled.

Both teens averted their eyes from each other. Ladybug felt her chest squeeze almost painfully tight.

“I’m sorry,” she murmured, keeping her eyes on the wooden floor beneath her. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I guess I just…I still don’t understand. I’ve been really lucky to have a great family who’s always there for me. I don’t know what it’s like to not have that.”

Adrien sighed, running a hand through his hair. Ladybug glanced up at him as he began to trace the wood patterns on the floor.

“It’s okay. I shouldn’t get so mad about it. A couple of days ago I kinda had a huge fit over it on a rooftop, so it’s a bit hypocritical of me to defend my dad now. It’s just…” Adrien looked out through the balcony railing. His eyes were hazy and unfocused, lost in thought. “He’s the only family I have left. So as much as I can think that he sucks, for someone else to point it out…”

“It’s different,” Ladybug finished for him, nodding her head. “I understand. I wouldn’t like it if someone talked badly about my family either.”

Adrien smiled gratefully up at Ladybug. He picked up his éclair again, and peeled away at the outer edge.

“So…I know you said we weren’t going to run, but are we patrolling?” He asked.

Ladybug eyed Adrien thoughtfully, then shrugged.

“I think Paris can go without us for one night. I’d rather just stay here, if you’re okay with that.”

Adrien hummed happily, and the two lapsed into silence as they ate their pastries. Suddenly, a small, black head popped out from Adrien’s shirt. It looked suspiciously like a cat, and Ladybug’s eyes widened as she realized this must be Adrien’s kwami.

“If we’re going to be staying here,” the cat spoke, “could I have some Camembert cheese?”

“Plagg,” Adrien scolded, scowling down at his kwami.

Ladybug giggled, holding out a cheese danish. “How about this?”

Plagg eyed the pastry wearily, but took it nonetheless. He took a small, test bite. Then his eyes lit up, and he stuffed the whole pastry in his mouth. Ladybug watched in shock as he swallowed the whole pastry in one gulp.

Plagg looked up, wiping his paws off as Adrien and Ladybug both gaped at him.

“What? Do you have any more?”

*****

About half an hour later, Ladybug and Chat were curled up on Marinette’s lounge chair. Chat’s head was in Ladybug’s lap as she ran her fingers through his hair. A steady purr emanated from his chest.

He had transformed just for this. Well, this, and also because Ladybug had told him to. Chat wasn’t completely sure why, but when he had tried to curl up on her as Adrien, she had covered her face with her hands and kicked him off. When he pouted up at her, she told him from behind her hand barricade that if he wanted to lay in her lap, he needed to transform first.

_ Maybe it was weird _ , Chat thought as Ladybug scratched behind his cat ears. But it wasn’t like they didn’t do this all the time when he was Chat. Now that she knew his identity, he’d thought she’d be fine with petting Adrien too.

Chat scrunched up his nose as he thought that sentence over again. Maybe it  _ was _ a little weird.

Ladybug scratched the nape of Chat’s neck, and all previous contemplations left his head. His purr intensified, and he pushed back against her hand.

Ladybug giggled.

“You’re such a cat,” she teased him.

Chat just rolled over on her lap, pointing to his other ear with a lopsided grin.

“Can you scratch this one?” He asked.

Ladybug complied, and Chat’s smile grew as his eyes slipped closed. They stayed that way for awhile—Ladybug’s hands in Chat’s hair as he struggled to stay awake. Suddenly, Chat turned on his back so his face was to Ladybug’s above him. He grinned up at her.

“Hey Bugaboo, does this count as our first date?”

Ladybug pulled her hand back, frowning at him.

“This isn’t a date, Chat Noir.”

Chat Noir’s smile widened as Ladybug crossed her arms over her chest.

“You’re right. Our first date needs to be somewhere more romantic. The top of the Eiffel Tower,  _ purrhaps _ ?” He said.

Ladybug groaned and covered her face with her hands. “We aren’t going on a date.”

Chat Noir tilted his head to the side, reaching up to try and pry Ladybug’s hands away from her eyes.

“Aw, Bugaboo. It would be fun! A cute little picnic on top of the tower?”

Ladybug shook her head stubbornly. Her hands were still glued to her face, but Chat could see the faintest hints of a blush poking out from underneath them. How cute! Chat pushed himself up on his elbows to get a better look.

“Are you blushing?”

Ladybug moved her hands away from her face, glaring down at Chat. It was then that Chat noticed just how close the two had gotten. Her nose was only centimeters from his, and he could feel her breath fan his face as she stared down at him.

“No, of course I’m not blushing,” she said.

She smelled like vanilla.

“Are you sure? Because it kind of seems like…”

“ _ Chaton _ …” Ladybug warned.

Her freckles stood out better in the fluorescent balcony lighting. Chat wanted to count them.

Instead, he tilted his head curiously.

“Did I ever tell you that you take my breath away?”

Much to Chat’s delight, Ladybug’s blush returned full force. He continued.

“Your eyes are so pretty. And your smile, and your freckles, and-“

Chat was cut off as Ladybug giggled above him. She playfully bopped his nose, smiling down at him.

“I think you’re pretty too,” she said.

Chat laughed, trying to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. “Oh, so you find out I’m a model and suddenly you agree with me?”

“No,” Ladybug said, grinning. “You’re pretty  _ inside _ .”

Chat’s breath caught in his throat, but Ladybug didn’t seem to notice. She continued to giggle as Chat’s cheeks slowly flushed pink.

“R…Really?” He asked.

Ladybug nodded down at him, her eyes sparkling as she smiled. “Of course. That’s one of the reasons you’re my best friend: you have a heart of gold. I mean, you’re so kind to everyone—both as Adrien, and Chat Noir. And even though you’re possibly the most agravating person I’ve ever met, I still-“

Ladybug abruptly stopped as Chat reached up and ran his thumb across her cheek. She inhaled sharply, her eyes growing wide as she stared down at him.

“W-what? What is it?” She asked.

Chat’s eyes flickered traitorously to her lips. He knew he shouldn’t. She didn’t like him like that, and had told him so on multiple occasions. She liked someone else. She liked someone else.  _ She liked someone else. _

So why wasn’t she pushing him away? Or slapping him? Or…or doing anything to get him to stop?

“Nothing. I just…I…uh…”

_ Really want to kiss you _ , Chat’s brain filled in for him.

Ladybug bit her bottom lip, and Chat leaned closer experimentally. His heart did a flip-flop as he realized that she still wasn’t leaning away. Her eyes widened almost impossibly wide, but then they slowly began to slip closed, and she leaned in too. She was leaning in too! Chat’s mind was going to implode. His heart was already pounding against his chest. Whatever happened to the other guy Ladybug had liked didn’t matter now, because she was going to  _ kiss him _ ! They were going to kiss! He was going to-

Chat’s eyes snapped open as a loud crash sounded from across the street.

“Ladybug! Chat Noir! Come out come out and play!”

Chat’s eyes automatically narrowed. Ladybug’s did the same, and that’s the moment they both realized how close their faces were. Scrambling back and away from each other, Chat rubbed the back of his neck as Ladybug fiddled her fingers together.

“Sorry!”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean-“

“I just thought-“

Both teens let out a strangled laugh, glancing away from each other.

“We should probably go see what akuma is hunting us down now,” Ladybug said.

Chat nodded, even though he was pretty sure Ladybug still wasn’t looking at him. “Yeah.”

Standing up from the lounge chair, both superheroes pulled out their weapons, preparing for takeoff.

“Ready…Ready, M’Lady?” Chat coughed, shooting Ladybug a wobbly smile.

“Ready,” she replied, half-smiling back.

They both turned away as blushes spread across their faces. Then they climbed up to the balcony ledge, and leapt away to figure out what kind of akuma was after their Miraculous now.


End file.
